USM gets nearly $132,000 health and safety grant

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ The University of Southern Maine is getting nearly $132,000 from the federal government for worker health and safety programs.

The grant is part of $10 million the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is awarding to 78 groups nationwide.

The department says the money will go toward education and training for workers and employers to improve workplace safety as well as injury and illness prevention measures.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez said in a statement Tuesday that the grants will give workers in dangerous industries “important tools to identify and eliminate hazards.”